Chapter 322: What a Messy Circle
The young woman froze for a moment, realizing that Su Tao was mocking her for being stingy.
“Who do you think you are? Trying to rip me off? It’s just a box, how much do you want?!”
She thought Su Tao was out of her mind. It was just a matter of switching rooms—offering 20,000 federal credits was already generous. If it were someone from the regular seats, she would have kicked them out without a second thought, let alone offered money.
This Xindu auction wasn’t that impressive—just a bunch of ill-mannered, small-minded people. The auction items probably weren’t worth much either.
Su Tao was genuinely surprised, “20,000 federal credits is considered generous? Forget it—if you can’t afford more, we won’t move. Not worth the trouble.”
Wasn’t Young Master Xiao known for being generous with women? If 20,000 was all it took for such an arrogant attitude, either he wasn’t as free with money as rumored, or he simply looked down on her.
“Oh, my dear Jia Jia, why are you arguing with someone?”
Hearing this voice, Bai Jiayan immediately clung to Young Master Xiao’s arm and tilted her chin at Su Tao.
“I just wanted to switch rooms with them. They wouldn’t agree and even tried to extort me.”
Su Tao wasn’t having it. “Don’t twist the truth. From start to finish, you were the one insisting we switch rooms—and you were the one who offered us money. The floor manager is right here, he can testify. When did I ever try to extort you?”
Young Master Xiao suddenly removed his sunglasses and gave Su Tao a good look.
“You’re pretty cute. How old are you?”
His girlfriend was furious and pinched his arm. “Xiao Wenting! I’m right here!”
In the shadows, Jiang Yu stepped forward with a cold expression, positioning himself in front of Su Tao.
Ma Dapao also stepped forward in a few strides, smiling but speaking in a not-so-friendly tone:
“Young Master Xiao, we’re not moving. Please take the box next door.”
Lin Fangzhi, Qian Lin, Qian Rongrong, Xu Qi, and the others all crowded around Su Tao without saying a word—just staring at Xiao Wenting and his girlfriend.
Xiao Wenting snorted, “Wow, you’re really protective. Is it that serious? I was just asking. Let’s go, Jia Jia—she’s probably not even an adult yet. Why argue with a kid? The box next door is fine—it’s not that different anyway.”
Bai Jiayan was reluctantly coaxed into the box next door. Even after walking a few steps away, she turned back to glare at Su Tao.
Too bad Su Tao was surrounded—she didn’t even notice the glare.
A wasted effort.
Finally, Xiao Wenting calmed his girlfriend down by promising to buy her anything she wanted at the auction, no matter the price, as a form of compensation.
But Bai Jiayan was already biased against the auction and had no interest at all.
“What good stuff could they possibly have here? Just look at the quality of the people in the VIP boxes—money-grubbing opportunists.”
Xiao Wenting, ever patient and indulgent with his women, continued to soothe her:
“Aw, you’re so wronged, aren’t you? Just think of it as helping me pick out a gift for my dad. You know he’s planning to marry his sixth wife for his 65th birthday—I’ve got to prepare a birthday and wedding gift together. The old man’s picky—if I want to stand out from my siblings, I need your keen eye to help me choose something perfect.”
Flattered by his sweet words, Bai Jiayan finally smiled again. “You sure know how to talk.”
*
Meanwhile, in the neighboring box, Mist was puzzled:
“I thought Young Master Xiao would stand up for his woman. I was ready for a fight.”
Xu Qi and the others nodded in agreement—they had thought the same. For someone as flashy as Young Master Xiao, it was surprising how easily he backed down.
Su Tao was also surprised. It wasn’t until Xing Shuyu arrived and heard what had happened that she snorted:
“My grandpa said that Young Master Xiao never takes women seriously—he’s all talk. When there’s trouble or interests at stake, he won’t hesitate to throw his women under the bus. Ruthless as hell.”
“I even heard that the Xiao family patriarch’s third wife was originally Young Master Xiao’s girlfriend. But when his father took a liking to her, Xiao Wenting didn’t hesitate to offer her up.”
Everyone was stunned by this revelation.
Su Tao clicked her tongue.
If even Xing Shuyu knew these things, it had to be an open secret. Yet, there were still so many foolish women falling for his sweet words.
What a messy circle. No thanks.
At this moment, the auction officially began on the floor below.
The auctioneer read out a long list of guarantees—essentially promising that all auction items were authentic and backed by Xindu. If there were any problems, buyers could contact Chairman Zhuo for a satisfactory resolution.
Then, the auctioneer introduced himself—a renowned auctioneer from the southern region with a stellar reputation—further reassuring the buyers.
As the opening music and lights ignited the atmosphere, a group of scantily clad bunny girls performed a sizzling dance to kick things off. Once the performance ended, the auction items started coming up one by one.
The first few items weren’t particularly impressive, and the atmosphere remained relatively calm.
But to Su Tao, a country bumpkin, everything seemed fascinating.
For example, the third auction item was a special ability crystal called “Discord.” When used, it caused enemies to turn on each other—especially effective against zombie hordes.
It ultimately sold for 4.2 million federal credits and 8 additional ability crystals.
So expensive. Next.
The fifth auction item was a massive, vicious dog with a black back and red belly. It was taller than an adult man when standing and yanked its heavy chains with an ominous clatter.
Even with a muzzle, it bared its fangs and growled lowly—fierce and intimidating.
The front-row buyers leaned back in alarm.
The auctioneer’s voice boomed with enthusiasm:
“A beast nurtured by the apocalypse itself! A rare wind-type ability hound named ‘Howler.’ Its roar is like a hurricane—unstoppable! Once tamed, its loyalty is absolute. The perfect battle companion to guard your back!”
The ferocious beast sparked a lively discussion—even Young Master Xiao next door seemed intrigued.
He had no interest in ordinary pets—only something as fierce as this beast was worthy of him in this brutal, post-apocalyptic world.
Bai Jiayan, on the other hand, was uneasy. “That dog is too dangerous. What if it can’t be tamed and hurts someone?”
Xiao Wenting’s grip on the armrest tightened.
If he couldn’t even tame a dog, how could he compete for control of the Xiao family? His siblings would crush him without mercy.
Anything—or anyone—that dared challenge him would be broken.
But he merely smiled at Bai Jiayan with his usual playful charm:
“You’re right, Jia Jia.”
Just as she was about to relax, he added with a grin:
“That’s why it’ll be even more satisfying to make it obedient.”
